Extra Credit #3: McCain Scandal Article

I hope you are all enjoying your vacations and the long overdue snow we have here in NY (for those of you lucky enough to still be here). If you're like me, the fact that we finally get a real snowstorm when we're already on a vacation either means that 1)there is no god 2) God has a cruel sense of humor or 3) God hates snowdays.

Either way, I'm not thrilled.

At any rate, the real reason I'm writing is to give you another extra credit assignment, one so steamy it just might melt all this snow. Some of you may have already heard, but earlier this week the New York Times broke a story about John McCain that suggested he had an affair with a lobbyist. McCain has forcefully denied these claims, and now many people are wondering whether the Times should have published the story.

So, my assignment for you is to:

1) Read the article that sparked the controversy

2) Tell me what you think in a 2 paragraph response. In the first paragraph, summarize some of the main points of the article. In the second paragraph, address some of the following questions:

• Did the Times have enough evidence to publish such a potentially damaging story?
• What kind of sources did they use in the article?
  
• Should we be skeptical of such sources? Why or why not?
  
• Was this responsible journalism?
• Is this just a case of the "liberal" New York Times attacking the conservative candidate?
  
• Do you think McCain did what the article claims he did?
• How could the timing of this story help or hurt McCain?